The owners manual says that you can hook either an antenna or a cable feed to the 921. But when I hook the cable up (Adelphia) and do an analog scan, I can't get the channels to come up. I don't expect to get the digital channels, just the 2-66 basic channels. Since I have to pay for cable to get a modem connection, I would like to be able to watch some of the government and local origination cable channels. Anyone have any experience with this? Is it a problem that will be fixed in future software?
It seems to me that the setup menu would need a "air/cable" selection checkbox as most VCRs and TVs have so it could tune the right set of frequencies.
The local installer that brought and hooked this thing up is clueless. I'm not even sure he knows what this thing is supposed to do. Don't these guys ever go to school on this stuff?

I am also looking for a signal converter that will let me use my computer 15 pin output signal into a standard three wire "component" input so I can switch it using the component jacks on my Sunfire receiver. Any one have any suggestions?

The owners manual says that you can hook either an antenna or a cable feed to the 921. But when I hook the cable up (Adelphia) and do an analog scan, I can't get the channels to come up. I don't expect to get the digital channels, just the 2-66 basic channels. Since I have to pay for cable to get a modem connection, I would like to be able to watch some of the government and local origination cable channels. Anyone have any experience with this? Is it a problem that will be fixed in future software?
It seems to me that the setup menu would need a "air/cable" selection checkbox as most VCRs and TVs have so it could tune the right set of frequencies.
The local installer that brought and hooked this thing up is clueless. I'm not even sure he knows what this thing is supposed to do. Don't these guys ever go to school on this stuff?

I am also looking for a signal converter that will let me use my computer 15 pin output signal into a standard three wire "component" input so I can switch it using the component jacks on my Sunfire receiver. Any one have any suggestions?

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The model 6000 has the ability to do Cable channels unlike the 921. You would think that for the cost of the 921, it would be able to convert cable and more!!!!!

Channels 2 through 13 should be the same frequencies in "air" or "cable" mode. There could be a problem with the 921 if it can not tune these channels and a seperate analog TV can from the same cable.

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I think the scan brought up 10 channels the first time I tried and then 13 the next time. They WERE the lower channels, not the ones I wanted to watch. Is this another "BUG", or intentional implementation of another "non feature"?

I would really hate to be a Dish Network dealer trying to get these things to work! Must be phones ringing off the hook at the offices. And the fact that I still cannot control the HD/SD output with infrared commands means I cannot watch a movie in the bedroom via my modulator unless I set the 921 to SD before I go to bed.

I use my MX-800 with a HD/SD programmed into it from my 6000 remote. I use it all the time. The only use I have for the original UHF 921 remote is when I set it up to play serius music outside and I want to channel up/down from the pool deck.

Even though I’m an existing Dishnetwork subscriber using a 508 DVR, I’m really new to all this HD discussion between the 921 and the DirecTV HDTivo. I want to upgrade to HTDV, but who is really winning this entire race? I have been reading for hours about this “OTA” situation, disastrous upgrades and not seeing an end or solution to these issues in the near future. So, I have some doubts and questions. For example, if I have paid for the local package channels through Dishnetwork and I want to watch those paid channels on HD, can I watch them through this local package with the 921 and avoid this OTA issue altogether? or those will be on the standard resolution and I will have install an external antenna to watch them on HD? and then maybe having to deal with this whole OTA issue? I asked this question to the people of Dishnetwork directly, and they said I would able to watch HD with my local package, but I want to get this information from you…people that are users just like me. I would more than happy to stay with Dishnetwork, and not convert to DirectTV, but what side is really winning and improving constantly right now?

For example, if I have paid for the local package channels through Dishnetwork and I want to watch those paid channels on HD, can I watch them through this local package with the 921 and avoid this OTA issue altogether? or those will be on the standard resolution and I will have install an external antenna to watch them on HD?

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You will need an OTA antenna to get the networks in HD. The only exception is CBS which is available from the satellite if you live in selected areas.

You will need an OTA antenna to get the networks in HD. The only exception is CBS which is available from the satellite if you live in selected areas.

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That is basically the same with DirecTV as well. They offer a national CBS-HD feed too, and fox, which people have called faux because they say it is HD when it is really only 480p (DVD quality). Fox is moving to a better format in the fall.

They both offer HBO and Showtime HD channels when you subscribe to HBO/Showtime packages.

With Dish you can opt out of the basic programming (AT60, AT120, everything pack, etc..), with a $5/mo maintenance charge added. With direcTV you can't. DirecTVs smallest package is bigger than Dish's, so if you don't want the basic programming, DirecTV will cost you more.

Personally, I get all of my locals over the air, I dropped the sd programming, I subscribed to the HD pack, and I subscribe to the CBS-HD which makes it like a dual OTA tuner for me. I can record CSI HD, and watch or record something on NBC at the same time.

This route is cheap and offers a lot of bang for the buck. But that is something that fits my own personal viewing habits well, ie., no SD stuff.

Does anyone know how the OTA situation is in the Boston area? Any beta testers in this area? It seems the issues are worse in some areas than in others.

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I'm not a beta tester, but I am experienced with the both OTA Boston situation with Dish receivers. Other than occasional upgrades like channel 25 is going through, or the adding of new channels (e.g. RI), things have been very stable in Boston. The trick is to give the OTA receiver a clean [but not necessarily strong] signal free of both multipath and interference.
And we do have access to a bunch of OTA digital channels, ref:http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?postid=3543688#post3543688

The 921 is one of the better digital OTA tuners.... I getting Boston, Worcester, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island channels just fine. Indeed there are more issues with the broadcasters scrambling to get their encoders/transmitters/towers "tweaked" in.

The only outstanding issue for me (introduced with the L186 firmware) is the
loss of [the low-rate subchannel] 005-2 on the nightly re-boot. (Interesting that the main, 005-1 is used for a daily timer, and records just fine.) The work-around when I want to watch 005-2 is I just have to do a "Add DTV" of physical channel 20. [not too big of a deal since the nightly re-boot part of L186 is only temporary; 005-2 is no longer has weather radar but as switched to ABC news]

Note with my Model 6000 with the 8VSB I have always had to "play games" doing channel up/down several times to get a picture for 005-2. [is a long standing and still un-resolved issue with Dish].

Note: isn't just Dish either... Samsung just recently sent out a firmware update for my SIR-T165 receiver. (Fixed the broadcast flag issue, but didn't fix the notorious timer issue.)

Don't bother with the 921. I too waited and did allot of research on these boards. The final consensus was that the unit had problems but was mostly ok. I have had MANY problems: lockups, failed recording timers, random recording times that won't stop without a reboot, etc. I have had it, the unit is going back to the vendor.

- Mark West

>>Even though I’m an existing Dishnetwork subscriber using a 508 DVR, I’m really new to all this HD discussion between the 921 and the DirecTV HDTivo. I want to upgrade to HTDV, but who is really winning this entire race?

A friend of mine has the HD-Tivo and I have the 921. We compare notes from time to time. Lately, the "user experience" i'm having is better than his.

It can depend on a number of factors, but since 1.86 my experience has been much better than I would have expected, and I quite enjoy using it, to the point that I purchased a second one.

wonderlamb said:

Don't bother with the 921. I too waited and did allot of research on these boards. The final consensus was that the unit had problems but was mostly ok. I have had MANY problems: lockups, failed recording timers, random recording times that won't stop without a reboot, etc. I have had it, the unit is going back to the vendor.

- Mark West

>>Even though I’m an existing Dishnetwork subscriber using a 508 DVR, I’m really new to all this HD discussion between the 921 and the DirecTV HDTivo. I want to upgrade to HTDV, but who is really winning this entire race?